Artemis's Surprise
by avaatquevale2250
Summary: Artemis goes looking for her brother, but she doesn't exactly find him alone. This is one of the requested one-shots based off my story, Fighting Fate. Whether you have read it or not, please give this a shot!


**This is the Artemis One-Shot. It takes place in the middle of Chapter 34, if you are curious to know where. I envision Artemis as someone who can be quite snarky when it comes to her brother, but very formal to everyone else. **

**For those who haven't read it, just take it as a sibling moment between two gods. Apollo has a thing for Addie (Euadne), a demigod who lives on Olympus. She's not a god, but not a mortal either. **

**I would just read my story. (Yes, this is my shameless attempt to promote myself.)**

**Hope you enjoy! And please, please review!**

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_-Artemis-_

I was going to kill him.

My brother, the huge flirt that he was, could not be found on Olympus. He had snuck off, but no one was worried enough to see where he was. I figured he was with some nymph or mortal, having the time of his life.

"He'll show back up by the morning," my father had grumbled.

Well, he had work to do, and I was not about to let him get away with it.

I concentrated on my brother and closed my eyes. I vanished and reappeared in a bedroom I did not recognize. And of course, there he was with some girl in bed. I couldn't see who it was. The blanket was pulled up so only Apollo's face showed, but I knew he had someone under there. Could he be anymore irresponsible?

This is why I was determined to be a maiden forever. I had every intention on blasting both of them to smithereens. That was until I pulled back the blanket.

Both of them were fully clothed, to my surprise. The girl was curled up against Apollo, her head resting in the crook of his shoulder on his chest. One of her hands gripped his waist, while the other was curled up in between them both. Apollo had both of his arms wrapped around her, holding her tightly to him. His head leaned slightly into hers, both of them clearly deeply asleep.

My brother was sleeping with Euadne. And not in the way I expected.

For a moment, I just watched them in shock. I knew Apollo was friends with her, good friends at that, but I never thought he might possibly like her more than that. Apollo did not "cuddle" or whatever the mortals called it. The expression on his face was one of contentment; you could see that even through his sleep. It was so just out of character for him.

Even more shocking was Addie. She use to flinch away from us, and even though it had gone away, I still noticed the apprehension in her eyes when someone unfamiliar touched her. She looked comfortable and content, just like my brother. I had always liked Addie. I thought about offering her a position in the Hunters, but then, she got married so she couldn't. After her curse, she had come with me on a few quests, and I admired her grace and talent. She had a pure and kind heart, and was as close to a maiden as anyone could be in her situation.

If my brother was trying to use her….

I pinched Apollo in the arm, careful not to jostle Addie. He groaned, and I rolled my eyes. I flicked my fingers against his shoulder, causing a tiny zap.

"What in," he mumbled, his eyes blinking sleepily. Then his gaze found me, and he went from half asleep to wide awake in about a nanosecond.

"Artemis, what are you doing here?" he whispered frantically.

"Get up," I ground out between my teeth. "Or so help me…"

Apollo did not hesitate, but what he did surprised me.

He eased himself out from underneath Addie, careful not to wake her. His hand held her head up, and he adjusted the pillow. He eased her head back down, his fingertips brushing her cheek as he pulled back from her. He pulled the blanket up around her, as Addie gripped the pillow in his absence. His expression was strangely blank, but I knew better. His eyes looked at her in earnest, like he was scared of something. He nodded at me and turned to walk out of the apartment.

As soon as we both made it outside of the door, I grabbed his arm.

"What in Kronos's name was that?"

He just looked at me impassively, not saying anything. His mouth opened once, but I cut him off.

"She's a slave, Apollo! Do you understand how angry Father would be if he found out?" I whispered harshly.

"Of course, I do. That's-"

"That doesn't even matter! Addie is a good person! I thought she was your friend! You are just taking advantage of her you selfish, little," I huffed and inhaled to finish. "If you are just going to dump her like every other girl or guy you hook up with I swear on the River Styx-"

"I HAVEN'T SLEPT WITH HER!" he snapped back at me, anger in his eyes.

"Um," I started, sarcasm heavy in my voice.

"You know what I meant," he said exasperatedly.

"Then exactly what were you doing in bed with her?" I questioned.

"Just sleeping," he muttered back. His cheeks flushed with color just a little bit, and he ran his hand through his hair.

"Apollo!" I snapped.

"She just needed someone, Artemis. She's been through a lot the past few days. We both fell asleep while we were talking, that's all."

I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring at him. He was avoiding my gaze, looking down at his feet.

"Well obviously something's going on because-"

"Artemis, please," he stated seriously as he cut me off. His eyes were earnest and pleading. "Just keep your mouth shut. If anyone finds out, she could get hurt, and it is not her fault."

I thought about all of Apollo's love interests over the years. Sure, he cared about them, but he had never been so distraught or protective over them. There was something in his expression that I had seen very few times. I had seen it when he was consorting with Daphne and Hyacinth, maybe, but even now, this expression was fiercer.

I think he loved her. And maybe, just maybe, this was the strongest he had ever felt over someone. Addie was no mere mortal. She was someone who would be here for a long time, someone who could practically match him in wisdom and grace. She was the closest thing a mortal had ever come to being a god by nature. He had found someone he could keep, someone that would not die.

"Do you like her?" I questioned him, my voice softening slightly.

"Artemis," he started. His voice was full of warning. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not going to say anything, Apollo! Just answer the damned question," I huffed out. Our eyes met, and he matched my glare for one equally terrifying of his own. Too bad I knew he would not hurt me. Finally, his breath came out, and he looked to the ground.

"Yes, of course I like her," he muttered.

"How much?"

"A lot," he said blandly. He wasn't going to say anything further, I knew that. I had never seen my brother care for another being as much as he cared about his family. My mother and I were the only female constants he ever had in his life, and now, there was another. I was a little jealous, seeing how protective he was over her. He was going to make sure she stayed safe, even from me. On the other hand, it made my heart warm to see him like that. I could not imagine another being in this world that would be worthy of him, but Euadne was someone pretty damned close.

He had crossed his arms over his chest, staring at me. It was almost like he was daring me to say something else. I rolled my eyes.

"I swear on our mother and the river Styx that I will not tell a soul about you and her," I vowed. "Happy now?"

"Yes," he replied cuttingly.

"Good. Father wants us to go to the Amazons, see if they are willing to help," I stated.

"Okay. Give me just a minute."

He walked back into Addie's apartment, and out of curiosity, I followed. He had knelt by the bed and was writing something on a sheet of gold paper. He carefully folded it up and placed it on the table beside the bed. His hand grazed her face, brushing the dark waves out of it. Apollo leaned forward and touched his lips to Addie's forehead, more chastely than I ever thought possible from him. I quickly turned around, so he wouldn't notice I was spying on him. Not like he _ever_ did it to me but still. I knew that he loved Addie, even if he was not ready to admit it.

He walked past me, and I followed. I couldn't help but keep a smile on my face. He glanced back at me and gave me a weird look.

"Quit it," he grumbled to me.

"Quit what?" I replied airly.

"You know what," he said deadpanned.

"Well if you ever need help sneaking off," I offered, with a grin on my face. He groaned in irritation, averting his gaze from me.

"Artemis. Shut up."

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**There you have it! Please review and tell me what you think!**


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